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Structural biology

Hand in hand structure and function of T6SSs

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 13, pages 186–187 (2015)Cite this article

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Type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) enable bacteria to inject effector proteins into target cells and are essential for the virulence of many important human pathogens, such as Francisella tularensis and Vibrio cholerae. However, high-resolution structures of these secretion systems are rare, which hampers the mechanistic understanding of T6SS function. Now, two studies report the atomic structures of a critical component of the T6SSs from F. tularensis subspecies novicida and V. cholerae, and identify specific interactions between two structural T6SS proteins that are essential for its function.

'handshake' interactions are essential for the function of the T6SS

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References

  1. Clemens, D. L., Ge, P. et al. Atomic structure of T6SS reveals interlaced array essential to function. Cell http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.02.005 (2015)

  2. Kudryashev, M. et al. Structure of the type VI secretion system contractile sheath. Cell http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.01.037 (2015)

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Authors
  1. Cláudio Nunes-Alves
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Nunes-Alves, C. Hand in hand structure and function of T6SSs. Nat Rev Microbiol 13, 186–187 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3459

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